Bartlett man gets four years behind bars for road rage shooting

A Bartlett man accused of opening fire on another automobile following a traffic altercation earlier this year has been sentenced to four years in prison, according to a release from DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin.

Vaughn Atkins, 42, of the 1900 block of Sun Drop Ct, Bartlett, entered a plea of guilty to one count of Aggravated Discharge of a Firearm Wednesday and was sentenced by Judge Kathryn Creswell, the release said.

On March 21, at approximately 5:45 p.m., Illinois State Police responded to a call of shots fired on Southbound I-355 near Ogden Avenue, according to the release. At this time, the victim, Michael Ingram, was traveling southbound on I-355 and switched lanes, cutting off Atkins and forcing his vehicle on to the shoulder of the road. Atkins pulled his vehicle alongside the driver’s side of Ingram’s vehicle, pointed a handgun and opened fire, hitting Ingram’s vehicle in the driver’s side rear passenger door. Following the incident, Atkins exited the highway and sped away. An investigation by the State Police and the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office led authorities to Atkins, who was arrested at his South Elgin home, where he was living at the time, on March 24.

“Simply put, when Mr. Atkins decided to open fire on a fellow motorist after being cut off, he let his road rage get the best of him,” Berlin said in the release. “By shooting at the driver of another vehicle during rush hour traffic on a major expressway, Mr. Atkins put many motorists and passengers in grave danger. Thankfully, no one was hurt by Mr. Atkins’ reckless behavior.”

After posting bail, Atkins has been out on bond since his arrest and will begin serving his sentence immediately.

Atkins will be required to serve 85 percent of his sentence before being eligible for parole.